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Area Football Players sorting out signing day possibilities

Charter Oak’s Bryce Bobo is committed to Colorado, but will he listen to other offers? Aram Tolegian explorers all the possibilities for area standouts as the February signing day nears.

By Aram Tolegian, SGVN

National signing day for high school football recruits still is just over two months away, but things are heating up locally for several schools with multiple prospects looking to land scholarships to play at the next level.

Early indications are that a handful of schools will produce a bumper crop of talent headed to the next level.

Several of the area’s top players already have offers, but for those who don’t the next two months are a hustle period with highlight reels exchanging hands left and right with hopes of opening the eyes of recruiters to something they may have missed.

At West Covina, head coach Mike Maggiore is busy trying to get defensive end Justin Hornsby and defensive back Muleck Henderson signed, sealed and delivered by signing day, which falls on Feb. 6, 2013.

Despite not having a junior season highlight film, which is critical, and suffering a leg injury in the middle of the season Hornsby is getting his share of interest. The senior speed rusher has interest from Wyoming and Utah State and a forthcoming offer from South Dakota State.

Henderson has interest from New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Portland State and South Dakota State.

The recruiting blitz for Maggiore won’t end with the class of 2013.

Bulldogs junior wide receiver/defensive back Sidney Jones figures to be one of the hottest recruits in the area next spring and summer. The same can be said for quarterback/running back/defensive back Antonio Hull, who has two years left to wow recruiters. Maggiore expects both players to get a chance to play in the Pac-12.

“I think Sidney will have offers before his senior year and Noodles before his junior year,” Maggiore said. “They can both play in the Pac-12. They just need to develop and improve. They’ll go to camps and it will all start in April and May.”

Monrovia just won its third consecutive Mid-Valley Division championship and the Wildcats should see the party continue all the way to signing day.

Receiver/defensive back Anthony Craft has an offer from San Jose State and another could be forthcoming from Fresno State. Craft has some recruiting trips planned over the next several weeks and more offers could roll in.

All-purpose Wildcats standout Mason Bryant has interest from several Ivy League schools, not to mention Army and Air Force. Bryant also has an offer from Mid-American Conference power Ohio.

Monrovia head coach Ryan Maddox believes interest will roll in for several more players on his roster, including running back/linebacker Gevontray Ainsworth, 6-foot-3, 290-pound tackle Isaac Miravet and 6-5, 270-pound tackle Matt Norman. Quarterback Blake Heyworth also figures to get some looks.

Charter Oak has been known in the past to put out a plethora of players in a given season, and this looks like one of those years. Receiver Bryce Bobo is technically committed to Colorado, but he’s expected to listen to other offers.

Linebackers Andrew Hauser and Eric Ortiz are getting interest from Villanova and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Chargers head coach Lou Farrar expects more interest once film gets out on the duo. There’s also kicker Jack Schneider, who Farrar is certain will be kicking on Saturdays for years to come.

Chargers defensive back Khari Garcia also figures to get considerable interest, along with running back/defensive back Aaren Vaughns.

Bishop Amat already has seen standout receiver/defensive back Darren Andrews shun Duke for UCLA. Running back/defensive back Dionza Blue appears to be the next Lancer who will commit. Blue has strong interest from Boise State and offers from Fresno State, New Mexico State and Hawaii. Blue will take his official visit to Hawaii in mid-January.

About Fred Robledo

I wish all the players well in in their pursuit of a scholarship. Well we had a long talk about who’s good and who the best players are in the SGV… We should see this thread light up! We talked all summer/season about upper division talent (Pac 5/ Inland) vs (South East/Midvalley). A lot of things were said about the speed of the game etc… Etc…There is a difference between good high school players and players with the potential and ability to play on the next level. The Majority of the time high school coaches place players out of position to fill holes in their teams….like putting a DL at LB… etc., and you can get away with this in school school. Scheme also plays a role in things too. A scheme can make or break a team in high school football more so than in college. In College it is Scheme + Ability/Skill which allows teams to win. In college players possess all the skills/size to play the positions they were recruited for. These attributes have absolutely nothing to do with your division. Some players played well against upper division comp because they are good high school players. However, their Size and speed, or developing potential do not match up with what the scouts are looking for. Sometimes scouts do miss guys… but if you play in the Pac 5 or Inland, and the phone is not ringing in the next 3 weeks…it’s not because you were not seen. You were probably seen, and passed. Those games get plenty of looks…realistically coaches should have been sending out tape, making contacts and working on this since last year. I am not going to say it’s too late, but it’s pushing close to Feb 1st. After that date, coaches are working on getting those guys into their program. With Laverne, and APU sitting in our back yard, those would be obvious targets for these guys still without offers. They would move up the D2 rankings with Talented players from the SGV. Now this is the time of year that bothers me, some players will be hurt because they have no JR year tape because of transferring too much. What do you do when the chasing of upper division or prime time (“more competitive”) divisions schools does not pay off? It’s easy for uninformed parents and kids get sucked into this trap. Going to a successful lower Division high school Like M-town/West Co type schools, could actually help you get noticed. Those guys have plenty of tape due to winning titles and14 game seasons for 2-3 years. Also at the smaller schools, their studs have to do more, so college coaches get to see their full skill set and ability, which can lead to an offer. If a guy is on the field on offense, defense and special teams and stands out in every area, that shows versatility. At the end of the day the numbers of offers from schools will vary, and some years there will be none. So we will have to see who gets what…but this is the time of the year, coaches/parents of and future players should be paying attention to “Weeks10-14 and Feb 1st”.

Curious

I am a little curious, you make it sound as if a football player does not get a scholarship then the school has failed him. There are 111 division 1 programs in the U.S. that give out about 25 scholarships a year. That means most kids playing Friday will not play on Saturday. So the more important question is how many kids are going on to college after graduation not how many get a full ride somewhere. I would bet there are certain schools who send a lot more then others. The dream of a football career is nice, but an education is priceless. Now don’t get me wrong I think you guys have a great program and I congratulate your kids for their hard work. But in the end it has to be more then just about football.

GP AKA Green Machine

I agree with you totally…football is just one of many avenues to get your education. I was specifically talking about some topics us bloggers had earlier and throughout the season regarding competitiveness, ability, and difference of talent from Pac 5 to DIV 13. Really no one brought up what you said earlier. That piece was for those who had those opinions. Obviously you are talking Big Picture…..I totally agree with you. I also believe with hard work plenty of these players can go to JC or walk on and earn a scholarship. So it’s not over for anyone who has not received an offer. I hope these coaches put all the effort in, to help these kids get a free education. There a plenty of schools in the Nation from D1 to NAIA. The players mentioned in this thread are good enough to play somewhere…Like I said, I am not making fun of anyone. It’s hard not to have a offer when you know you can play with others who are getting offers.

Curious

I can respect that. I just hope the ones that don’t play on the next level continue their education. That degree will feel as good as a scholarship would have. By the way good luck for for four in a row.

Kennedy Bryant

That’s why our motto has been the HOME OF SCHOLARS AND CHAMPIONS… Maybe some of the haters of our DIV11 program finally get it..

Curious

That is a great motto. I hope you don’t think I am hating. I’m too old to hate high school kids or their school. I just think education needs to come first, and sometimes that just is not the case. From what you said it sounds like you have it covered. Again good luck for four.

Galileo

hey newbie, La verne is NCAA dIII and offers no athletic scholarships…………just a FYI to you

PAC 5

Division 1 does equal better players .monrovia is an exception . Only Monrovia has all that talent in there division . In division one every team has at least a couple d1 prospects with some teams with 5-6 players . You are correct that if you are good it doesn’t matter what division you play in . Kids like Frazier and Walsh would get notice at any school . Now a days you have the combines in the summer to get noticed also .

FootballFan

Wheres South Hills tackles, Riley Deen and Pailake Aiono? Riley has offers from Sac St., Montana St., and New Mexico St. Lake has an offer from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Those two were monsters and anchored that offensive line. Best tackles I’ve seen in a while.

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